Toy Soldiers
by MikiMoke
Summary: Seven years ago, the Lightwoods encounter the son of a hero from the Uprising. The children become friends, and then never see each other again for seven years. After the events of Valentine's war, will they remember each other?


**Just thought I'd do a one-shot with an OC I had in mind. I was going to make him Jace's parallel self, known as a Demonum (I prob still will, people who know what my Demonum are) but then I thought he'd be better as a Shadowhunter. Again, this is just a one-shot. Maybe, if people love it enough, I'll make it a full more-than-one-chapter fanfic.**

_**Toy Soldiers**_

"Where's your dad, Wayland?" the blonde kid said cockily. Jim lifted his head from his book as he heard once again the feud that was waging between the recently orphaned Jonathan Wayland and the school bully Henry Goldstein. Jim never liked hearing this kind of thing happen, but it did and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The orphaned boy noticed him watching. Jim shook his head. _Walk away_, his eyes pleaded. No doubt Jonathan had heard of him. Jim's father was the famous Jin Graceland – the man who pulled out of the Circle and protected his pregnant wife from Valentine when the time of the uprising came. Because of that, Jim was both pitied and expected of people. Everyone expected him to be as brave as his dad and expected him to be as good a fighter, but Jim couldn't live up to that.

Henry's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What're you looking at, Graceland?" he growled. Jim simply smirked and looked back down at his book.

Henry growled again and looked away from Jim, turning his attention to Jonathan again. Jim glanced up again, watching it unfold.

"You're still watching, aren't you, Graceland?" Henry demanded, not turning around. Jim when stiff. Half the time he was at school, he observed people, and the other half, he wondered if Henry had eyes on the back of his head.

"What of it?" Jim said, looking down at his book again. He promised his mother he wouldn't get into a fight.

"Oh, so you talk?" Henry said, turning around slightly. "Beat it."

Jim laughed a little. This kid was asking him – no, _threatening_ him – to leave when Jim could easily kick his butt into next week? Now _that_ was a person to be pitied – they died quickly in the world of reality.

"Screw that," he said, setting down his book. "For almost a week I've seen you pick on that guy and for what? The fact that his dad was murdered? That's low, even for a roach like you."

Henry turned around to face him, eyes blazing with fury. "What about you?" he hissed. "Your dad was murdered by Valentine himself because your pregnant deadweight of a mom couldn't fend for herself. Your dad was an idiot to even try to help her."

That did it. Jim, abandoning all thought, rushed at Henry and brought his fist down on his face, sending Henry to the ground with a broken nose.

Jim grabbed the boy by the shirt and pulled him up. "My father was a great man," he growled. "He had no fear when it came to leaving the Circle – can't say the same about _yours_. And my mother wasn't a deadweight – in fact, I'm pretty sure she was the one who helped the Silent Brothers to heal the Shadowhunters that were almost dead. So think about your family before you go to slander mine, jerk."

Jim threw Henry to the ground and turned to Jonathan. They boy was staring at him in confusion. Jim sighed, walked over to his book, picked it up, watched as Henry left with a bleeding nose, and nodded to Jonathan.

"C'mon," he said. "I'm sure there's a better place around here to sit for a while."

Without a word, Jonathan followed him.

...

Jim's mother was furious when he got home that night.

"James Graceland!" she scolded. "What did I tell you about getting in a fight?"

Jim frowned and served the mashed potato onto a plate, handing it to Rita. He didn't want to say that someone had made fun of Jin – she would just stay up crying when he went to bed.

"Some kid was getting bullied and I didn't like it," he said simply. Rita raised a suspicious eyebrow. Jim smiled lightly at her and her mood changed instantly.

"You're just like your father," she said, hugging him. "Don't think those smiles of your will distract me forever, though. I overcame your father's and I'll overcome yours."

Laughing a little, Jim served the rest of the food. A knock came from the front door. Rita ruffled her son's jet black hair.

"I'll get it," she said softly. He nodded and carried his plate to the dining room table. He heard Rita open the door.

"Maryse!" she said happily. "It's been ages!"

"Rita, you live here?" a woman's voice replied, just as happy. "If I'd known I'd have brought my children here to spend time with Jimmy while you and I caught up."

Rita laughed. "That can be arranged," she said. "Come in, come in. Oh, are these your children?"

"Yes, this is Alec, Isabelle, and Jace," she replied, pausing between each name. The sound of footsteps filled the house and Jim leaned back in his chair, curious as to whom these three were. A girl peeked out from the doorway. She stared at him curiously, blue eyes boring into his light grey. He raised an eyebrow similar to how his mother did, and then a boy his age stepped out from the door. He had the same black hair and blue eyes as the girl. He guessed the girl was Isabelle and maybe the boy was Alec. So where was Jace, then?

A blonde boy stepped out after Alec, and Jim nearly choked on his food. _Jonathan?_ Jace was _Jonathan?_

"Hey," Jace said. "Thanks for earlier."

Jim cleared his throat. "No problem," he said. "Just do what I do – ignore him and walk away. If that's not an option, just slug him in the face."

"James!" Rita called. "Stop giving out bad advice! You should talk out your problems!"

Sighing, Jim picked up his plate and placed it on the kitchen bench. "To what do my mother and I owe the pleasure?" he asked them. Alec stepped forward, holding out a hand.

"I'm Alec Lightwood, Jace's adopted brother," he said. "He told us what happened today and my mom insisted on coming to thank you."

"Seems like our mothers know each other."

Alec nodded. "They went to the school together and I think they wanted to be parabatai."

"Oh," Jim said. "The truth comes out. I didn't even know my mother had friends."

"Jim!" Rita scolded. "I can hear you!"

_Obviously_, he thought. Isabelle walked into the room with Jace. Jim looked between the three of them.

"You guys want something to eat?" he offered. Jace smiled a little.

"Sure," he said. "What've you got?"

"A lot of potato, some meat, maybe a few apples," Jim listed. "The norm in our house."

...

Seven years had passed since Jim had last seen the Lightwoods. Maybe it was a good thing – Jace would've been knocking him to his senses if he saw him now. Jim's parabatai, Kai, clicked his fingers. The boys, now almost adults, were well known in the Downworlder world. Not for the way Jim had imagined, though. Not that anyone would care. Rita had died a few years back of cancer, and it was around then that Kai had been adopted into their family.

"Which one are we going for?" Kai asked. Jim pulled out his phone and checked his pictures.

"This one," he said. Kai glanced at the picture and grinned.

"Sparkly much?" he asked. Jim chuckled to himself. The boys were known, to the Downworlders, as the best mercenaries money could hire, and they lived up to that reputation on every job. This job, as usual, was a request from a Downworlder who wanted someone gone. And this someone was a warlock in with the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute.

"Let's go over the plan," Jim said. Kai held up a hand to stop him.

"Go in there, use gas bombs, grab the warlock while everyone's momentarily coughing, lock ourselves in a room using three locking runes, interrogate the guy, kill him, leave without a trace." Kai grinned and waited for praise from his brother.

"Good memory," he said, rolling his eyes. Kai's grin disappeared and he grabbed his brown hair, tying it back into a stubbed ponytail. His sapphire blue eyes scanned the room below them.

"There," he said. "He just left that room with a guy with black hair."

Jim nodded and pulled out one of the gas bombs, handing it to Kai. Hopefully, they'd picked the yellow gas. They blended well with the yellow and it seemed to thicken in white rooms. Counting to three, the two of them opened the windows beneath them and dropped the bombs, grabbing their bandanas and covering below their eyes. Just as the gas seeped out, they both jumped down. Landing silently, they dashed at the warlock.

"What the heck?" the guy with him said. Kai took long strides over to him and raked his fist over his face.

"Come with us and he won't die, warlock," Jim warned. The warlock nodded as the black-haired boy went down. Kai, abandoning the boy, grabbed one of the warlock's arms. Dragging him into an unoccupied room, they carefully shut the door and drew three locking runes on it, each one more complex than the other. Jim then turned to the warlock.

"Magnus Bane," he said. "Do you know who we are?"

The warlock nodded. "You're mercenaries that work for Downworlders," he said. "You're quite good, from what I hear. I was going to hire you for work had other events not cut in."

"Enough with the drabble, Bane," Kai growled. "We're here because a vamp you pissed off about a month ago wants to give you what you deserve."

Jim glared at Kai. He was blunt, but a little too blunt. "We need you to answer some questions," he said. "For one, who filled the vamp's bike with holy water?"

Magnus smiled, sly as a fox. "I told him what I'm about to tell you – I don't know."

Kai, though his mouth was covered, showed the telltale signs of frowning. "We know you know," he growled. Magnus crossed his arms over his chest, taking on a threatening position.

"Such a strong attitude from a child who acts so stupid," he said. "I am the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and you are nothing more than two little Nephilim who have nothing left in their lives. You make a living killing, but you kill the _wrong ones_."

"Oh, we slay demons," Jim said, a smile in his voice. "We do _that_ as a job. This is just a common interest we share."

Kai chuckled. Magnus, smirking, clicked his fingers. The door swung open slowly. Before they knew what was happening, a flash of gold pulled Kai back by the leg and another flash of gold pushed Jim back. Jim swung his leg at the person, but they were inhumanly fast, even for a Shadowhunter. He'd only known one person this fast, and he hadn't seen in seven years.

"A little help here!" he heard Kai call out to him. Jim growled in frustration as the fast person kept on trying to knock him down.

"Busy!" he called back. All of a sudden, Jim was lifted off of the ground. He glanced at the warlock, stunning to see him grinning, then realised he was being held there by magic. He sighed and stopped trying to get back to the ground. Just as he glanced at the fast person, a fist landed hard on his face. Jim's vision went blank and he soon lost consciousness.

...

"What do we do with them?" a voice asked. Jim kept his eyes shut, listening to their conversation.

"I don't know," a woman's voice replied. She sounded so familiar. Maybe Jim had heard her before.

"He's obviously awake," Magnus's voice cut in. "Look at his breathing – it's certainly more steady."

His eyes opened immediately and he tried to jump off of the bed, but something tight held him back. Sighing, he laid back on the bed.

"Mind answering a few questions?" Magnus growled. "We won't kill your friend if you do."

"Funny," Jim growled. He surveyed the group surrounding him. There was a woman with black hair and blue eyes was in front of him, and beside her were two boys – one with black hair and a bruised face, the other with blonde hair. Next to the blonde one was a small girl with red hair. Next to the bruised one was a girl with the same looks as the woman before him. Next to her was Magnus.

"Anything you want to say?" the bruised boy asked. Jim grinned.

"Nothing, really," he said. "However, I do require a goldfish, a rubber band, _and_ a phone."

_Crack!_ The girl's hand slapped across his face as she glared at him with pure hatred. Not the first time a girl did that to him.

"You bastard!" she yelled. The woman pulled her back while the redhead consoled her in another room. Jim could feel the blood rushing to his cheek and he felt like sighing. The blonde boy glared at Jim next.

"She has every right to do that," he said. "So do we. But, most of all, Magnus and Alec deserve to be punching you senseless right now. And your friend."

"Alec?" Jim said. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, _crap_."

"What?" Magnus asked. "What's he crapping about?"

Jim tried not to laugh at that. "I knew you looked familiar," he said to the woman. "You aren't Maryse Lightwood, are you?"

The woman flinched. "And who might you be?" she asked. No denial yet, so maybe she was Maryse.

"Oh, you mean people have forgotten me now? Sweet. Allow to me introduce myself." He held out his hand as far as it would go – a ruler-length off of the bed. "James Graceland. Call me Jim."

Both the bruised boy and the blonde boy stared at him in shock, trying to figure out something.

"He's gotta be lying," the blonde one said. "Right?"

"God, I hope he's lying," the bruised one replied. Jim rolled his eyes.

"What am I? Chopped liver? I'm right in front of you!"

Maryse waved off his comment. "He's telling the truth," she said. "Smile, James."

Jim, raising an eyebrow, smiled the same way he used to smile at his mother. Maryse gasped and ran for whatever was holding him to the bed. She untied it, and the moment she did she brought him into a hug.

"James!" she exclaimed. "You're alive!"

Magnus cleared his throat. "I'm confused, for once," he said. "What, exactly, is going on here?"

"This is Jim, the son of one of the bravest Shadowhunters I've ever known," Maryse said. "What happened after we left Idris?"

"Oh, nothing much," Jim said, acting happy. "My mother got cancer and died a couple of years ago; she adopted Kai before she died; Kai and I got into the mercenary business. Y'know – stuff you'd expect me to do if left alone with someone who thinks like I do. What about you guys?"

Alec and Jace stared at him, dumbfounded, while Maryse simply slapped him on the back of the head.

"I am disappointed, James," she scolded. Jim's jaw dropped. He hadn't seen this woman in seven years and the first conversation she has with him is a _lecture_? There was something wrong with this picture.

"By the way," Jim said, closing his mouth and rubbing his head. "Where are you holding my brother? And please, by the Angel, tell me Isabelle didn't go to beat him to a pulp."

At that, Isabelle and the redhead walked into the room. Isabelle shot a glare at Jim and walked over to him, turning to her mother.

"Who let him go?" she demanded. "Why isn't he being restrained?"

Jim cleared his throat to speak, but Isabelle gave him a look that said, _Speak and your remains will be found behind a dumpster._ It sent chills down Jim's spine – and not the good kind...

"Isabelle," Alec began. His sister shot him the same look. He didn't seem fazed by it, but didn't speak, either.

"Izzy, darling," Magnus started. Isabelle turned to him but didn't give him her death glare. "This young man is apparently a friend of yours. And the son of a friend of your mother's."

Isabelle glared at Jim again, suspicious. "I'd remember if he was a friend of mine," she growled. "And I don't know any of Mom's friends."

"Here's a clue," Jim said sarcastically. "Lots of potatoes, some meat, maybe a few apples."

Isabelle gasped. Jim sat back a little, eyes widening. "By the Angel," Isabelle said to herself.

"Does that mean she got it?" Jim asked her brothers. "Because, I swear, that wasn't even a hint."

"Oh, I got it," Isabelle said slowly. Before Jim knew what was happening, Isabelle yet again slapped him hard across the face. "Moron!" she continued loudly. "Why'd you come after Magnus like that? If you knew it was us, then why didn't you just give up the whole mercenary thing and stay with us?"

Jim cleared his throat and rubbed at his cheek. Damn Lightwood women and their obsession with painful lessons. "Back to my brother..." he said, letting the sentence continue by itself. Maryse gasped and ran out of the room, probably making her way to Kai. Boy, did Jim have a lot of explaining to do to his little brother. A moment or so later, Maryse and a very annoyed Kai walked into the room.

"Shit has hit the fan, bro," Kai said. "Explanation. _Now._"

"Trust me when I say that's all everyone's been wanting from me for the past fifteen minutes," Jim muttered. Kai grunted and sat down the on bed next to him, glaring at his brother. "Don't give me that look," Jim added with annoyance. The young brother sighed and looked at everyone else there.

"Friends of yours?" he asked. Jim nodded, then sucked in a breath.

"Most of them. Don't think Magnus likes us for the simple fact that we threatened to kill him _and_ Alec if he didn't cooperate and I don't think this is the kind of first impression that Freckles over there is used to."

"Hey!" both Jace and the redhead growled. Jim shrugged.

"If I have no names, I make them," he replied, as though it explained everything. Maryse sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. She seemed stressed. Jim glanced at everyone there and waited for someone to say something. Maybe they were waiting for _him_ to say something? He had promised them an explanation, anyway. Wait – no he didn't! Since when did he make promises? Well, he did when Rita was alive, but still!

Maryse stood between the brothers and looked to the both of them. "Boys," she said. "As long as you're here – with us and in the Institute – you don't have to do the mercenary jobs. You can just stay with us for as long as you like. How does that sound?"

The brothers glanced at each other, asking permission from the other, and then they both grinned.

"Sure," they said at the same time. "When's lunch?"


End file.
